Harry Styles Got a New Tattoo on Television Last Night

Consummate showmen that they are, the boys of One Direction, an angelic quartet (former quintet) of handsome British (and Irish) lads, will do just about anything to entertain us. And when they commit to a bit, they really commit to it. Just look at this clip from The Late Late Show with James Corden, in which the band members participate in a game called “Tattoo Roulette.” Each picks a box, and whoever opens theirs and finds the word “Tattoo” in it actually has to get a tattoo, right there on the show.

So that’s some risky business! Especially for sweet, sweet Niall Horan, the band’s chipper little Irishman, who doesn’t have any tattoos. The other boys are littered with tats, many of them whims of youth that may or may not be a bit cringed at in the future. But no matter! For the purposes of this segment, regret was not on the table. What’s one more little tattoo reading “Late Late” amid a sea of other random designs and scrawlings? Nothing, really.

But Corden, who does not have any tattoos either, and Horan, who has held firm on this while his brothers in song covered themselves in ink, were nervous. Harry Styles, perhaps the most inked among them, seemed cool. And Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne, also heavily tattooed, seemed almost equally as relaxed. So, to raise the stakes, Corden played up his own nerves, while Horan looked genuinely pained to be doing the whole thing, as each man opened his box to reveal his fate. After much hemming and hawing, Corden opened his and found he was safe, leaving it down to Harry and Niall. Oh no! Would poor Niall have to sully his unblemished skin for the sake of some talk-show gag? What a strange twist of fate that would be! But no, Harry then opened his box and there it was, in big red letters: “TATTOO.” It was Harry Styles who would go under the needle.

And so he did! Right there on the TV. Just rolled up his sleeve and let it happen, brave soul. That’s sort of an intense thing to do for the sake of CBS’s second-tier late-night show, but he did it. I guess it’ll be a good story? “Grampa Harry, how’d you get that tattoo?” “Oh, I went on a late-night television show.” “What’s that?” “A program that used to come on in the middle of the night, before everythin’ was on your hand-screens whenever you wanted to watch it. We played a game to see who had to get a tattoo, and I lost.” “Wasn’t Grampa Louis cross?” “He was, but he couldn’t say so on the telly just then, because most people didn’t know me and your grampa were in love back then.” “They didn’t??” “Well, some of the smart ones did, but there weren’t too many of them.” “That’s silly.” “It is, my darlings. It really is.”

Y’know. That kind of story. Anyway, you’re a crazy man, Harry Styles! But you keep us entertained. So, thanks for that.

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New Edition

Kicked out of the group in 1986, Bobby Brown remains the most famous member of New Edition, though the rest of the musicians went on to various side projects as well. There have been a variety of New Edition reunions since, including an album in 1996 and a recent 30th anniversary tour.

Photo: By Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.

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Photo: By Kevin Kane/Getty Images for Jingle Ball 2012.

The Supremes

The only band breakup so famous there’s basically a musical about it. When Diana Ross left the Supremes in 1970 (the group had been renamed Diana Ross and the Supremes by then), the group technically continued on without her, but there’s no question about how much Ross’s presence defined the group’s legacy.

New Edition

Kicked out of the group in 1986, Bobby Brown remains the most famous member of New Edition, though the rest of the musicians went on to various side projects as well. There have been a variety of New Edition reunions since, including an album in 1996 and a recent 30th anniversary tour.

By Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.

New Kids on the Block

Heartthrob Jonathan Knight was the first to jump ship from the ultimate 90s boy band, though the rest of the group soon pursued their own solo careers. All five re-united in 2008 and have toured together since; this summer they’ll head out on tour with Nelly and the surviving members of TLC.

By Michel Linssen/Redferns.

The Spice Girls

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From The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images.

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Destiny’s Child

It took two years after Beyoncé’s smash-hit debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, for Destiny’s Child to formally break up in 2005. Their collaborations continue, though, from a Super Bowl performance in 2013 to occasional singles.

By Theo Wargo/WireImage.

No Doubt

Technically the No Doubt breakup was just a brief hiatus, from 2004 and 2008, though Gwen Stefani’s success as a solo artist at the time made it feel a lot longer. The group released a new album in 2012 and continues to suggest more music is to come.

By Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.

One Direction

History has yet to tell us what the fallout will be from Zayn Malik leaving One Direction—but if we were to guess based on all these other breakups, the reunion tour is only about five to six years away. Chin up, One Directioners.